For attendees to the Ashland Public Library Event with Alysha Rameera on September 15, the author will be signing bookplates for every book ordered through Aesop's Fable.

For readers of Sarah J Maas, Scarlett St. Clair, and Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne, this epic, slow-burn romantic fantasy debut inspired by Sri Lankan mythology follows a fierce orphaned young woman with an affinity for poisons and revenge who would do anything to end the reign of heartless rajas in Anuradhapura—even sell her soul to the most dangerous cursed god of all—the Blood Yakka, Reeri.

Anula Ramanayake of Anuradhapura calculated her ascent the moment she was orphaned—when her village burned in an endless war and the gods forsook her prayers. First, she would marry the raja. Then, she would poison him and take the throne for herself and her people. But when an unexpected coup thwarts her careful plans, Anula is left with one, desperate option. She offers her soul to the cursed gods she renounced in exchange for the crown. 

In the Second Heavens, Reeri the Blood Yakka, the most dangerous and powerful of his clan, hears her prayer. For eons, he’s waited for such a valuable offering – one that could finally give him the chance to kill his divine tormentor and return his fellow Yakkas to their former glory on earth. Reeri accepts Anula’s bargain, tethering them until their goals are achieved, or until they die.

As the war presses on, Anula must move quickly or lose her chance to become the first raejina. But while she is skilled at many things, especially in stopping hearts, the closer she grows to Reeri, the more she finds her own heart at risk. And when the time comes to fight enemies both human and divine, Anuradhapura and the Heavens will never be the same.

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 12, 2025)
• ISBN-13: 978-1464231797